AN: So, I finally decided to post some of my Hetalia fanfics, even though I think a lot of them aren't my best work. This fic contains a lot of history, some of which I actually researched (as in, I used sites other than Wiki), but there could still be some wrong information (mostly in the years, since that's what usually seems to differ from source to source). Also, I don't own Hetalia or anything in this fic created by someone else.
Warnings: Uhm, just mostly dark-ish themes here. Maybe some cursing later, when I actually add some dialogue. Pinches of pairings, but no real action.
Layers of ash cover the world, some from his volcanoes, and others from other volcanoes. Some people choose to blame whatever god they believe in. Others blame nature. A select few blame the nation himself. It's a horrible burden, one that he's always lived with and never been able to stop hating.
Some people say he doesn't know what suffering is. Sure, he's only been in one war with another nation. But he knows suffering. He's lost so much to those volcanoes of his, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. That's what makes it worse than a war: the complete powerlessness.
These days, with all the advanced technology, his people can predict (to an extent) when a volcano will erupt. It may save the people in the immediate area, but it can't really save the crops. And then there's the other issue: air travel. Sometimes the ash is thrown so high, it becomes a danger to airplanes. The airlines ground their planes until it's determined it's safe to fly again, and that causes a whole new set of problems for the world.
In the past, it was hard to tell exactly what effects the ash had on the rest of the world. People weren't aware that the dark sun and fine dust falling from the sky were signs of a volcanic eruption. The world wasn't as connected back then. Nowadays, news stations all over the world report on volcanic eruptions...if they're explosive enough to interrupt travel. With all the historical research being done, it's also possible to find out what effects volcanic eruptions of the past had on the rest of the world.
He's never been able to explain why, but ever since information has become more accessible, he's spent countless hours reading about what effects "experts" believe eruptions of his volcanoes have had on the world. Much of the information he finds leads him to believe more things about the world than he realizes are coincidental. The timing of the eruptions leads him to read between the lines, sometimes a little too much. He knows none of it is his fault, but he can't help but feel responsible for some of the things that likely resulted from his volcanoes' eruptions. Often when he reads about these things, he finishes feeling sick to his stomach.
He knows better than most how important it is to stop global warming. He finds himself angered by other nations' ridiculous ideas and knows they're just wasting precious time. Most are only aware that global warming is melting glaciers and the polar ice caps and that causes the oceans to rise. He knows the other effect, and fears it more than anything else. Many of his most powerful volcanoes are covered, partly or completely, by glaciers, and if the glaciers melt, it will allow the volcanoes to erupt with their full potential.
He fears large eruptions that prove to be worse than the Laki eruption of 1783-84. He does everything he can at home to stop global warming. But no matter how hard he tries, he can never get his two cents in at a world meeting. The other nations are much more important than he is, so he's forced to sit there and listen to their stupid ideas. No matter, it gives him time to think up the most ingenious ideas that will actually work.
Sooner or later, the world will realize just how serious things are, because a large eruption from one of his volcanoes is on the horizon. And it will bring the world to its knees in one fell swoop. They thought the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull was bad? It will only get worse, and he knows it better than anyone else. He's lived with the ash all his life.